— wetly , adv. — wetness , n. — wetter , n. — wettish , adj.
/wet/ , adj., wetter, wettest , n. , v. , wet or wetted, wetting .
adj.
1. moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid: wet hands.
2. in a liquid form or state: wet paint.
3. characterized by the presence or use of water or other liquid.
4. moistened or dampened with rain; rainy: Wet streets make driving hazardous.
5. allowing or favoring the sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet town.
6. characterized by frequent rain, mist, etc.: the wet season.
7. laden with a comparatively high percent of moisture or vapor, esp. water vapor: There was a wet breeze from the west.
8. Informal.
a. intoxicated.
b. marked by drinking: a wet night.
9. using water or done under or in water, as certain chemical, mining, and manufacturing processes.
10. all wet , Informal. completely mistaken; in error: He insisted that our assumptions were all wet.
11. wet behind the ears , immature; naive; green: She was too wet behind the ears to bear such responsibilities.
n.
12. something that is or makes wet, as water or other liquid; moisture: The wet from the earth had made the basement unlivable.
13. damp weather; rain: Stay out of the wet as much as possible.
14. a person in favor of allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
15. Informal ( disparaging and offensive ). a wetback.
v.t.
16. to make (something) wet, as by moistening or soaking (sometimes fol. by through or down ): Wet your hands before soaping them.
17. to urinate on or in: The dog had wet the carpet.
v.i.
18. to become wet (sometimes fol. by through or down ): Dampness may cause plastered walls to wet. My jacket has wet through.
19. (of animals and children) to urinate.
20. wet out , to treat (fabric) with a wetting agent to increase its absorbency.
21. wet one's whistle . See whistle (def. 16).
[ bef. 900; ME wett, ptp. of weten, OE waetan to wet; r. ME weet, OE waet, c. OFris wet, ON vatr; akin to WATER ]
Syn. 1. dampened, drenched. 4. misty, drizzling. 7. humid. 12. wetness, humidity, dampness, dankness. 13. drizzle. 16. WET, DRENCH, SATURATE, SOAK imply moistening something. To WET is to moisten in any manner with water or other liquid: to wet or dampen a cloth. DRENCH suggests wetting completely as by a downpour: A heavy rain drenched the fields. SATURATE implies wetting to the limit of absorption: to saturate a sponge. To SOAK is to keep in a liquid for a time: to soak beans before baking.
Ant. 1. dry.